Guards look to continue Draft success with 'tool to refuel ... Major League team'

CLEVELAND -- Two years ago, when the Guardians were sorting through candidates to take with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft, Travis Bazzana's makeup left a big impression on the organization. His on-field talent was clear, but his mindset and desire to learn and to get better stood out most.

“As he transitioned to professional baseball,” Guardians senior vice president of scouting Paul Gillispie said recently, “one of the things that we had a lot of confidence in with Travis is he had such a great foundation of that makeup and that mindset to rely on any time he faced any adversity, hurdles, injuries, those types of things.

“We had a lot of confidence in his makeup, that he would be able to work through those things. I think we've seen that play out on the field with Travis.”

Bazzana being named to the MLB All-Star Game as a rookie this season, coming off an injury-impacted 2025 Minor League campaign, is validation for Cleveland’s process. Though the Guardians' first selection in the Draft will come later this year, they once again have a chance to add impactful talent to their pipeline.

The 2026 Draft is set for Saturday (Rounds 1-4) and Sunday (5-20). The Guardians will make four selections on Day 1 (Nos. 19, 59, 95 and 123) and another 16 on Day 2. In his latest mock draft, MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo has the Guardians selecting TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider with the No. 19 pick.

That would mark the third straight year Cleveland selected a college position player with its top pick, following Bazzana in 2024 and Jace LaViolette (No. 27 overall) last year.

• Day 1 picks: 19, 59, 95, 123
• Bonus pool allotment: $9,303,700
• Last year’s top pick: Jace LaViolette, OF, pick 27 ... A power-hitting outfielder who stands 6-foot-6, LaViolette belted 68 home runs over three seasons at Texas A&M. Now ranked as the Guardians’ No. 6 prospect, he has a .237/.339/.436 slash line with 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs with 35 walks and 113 strikeouts in 63 games with High-A Lake County.
• Breakout 2025 pick: Luke Hill, 3B, pick 132 … Ranked as the No. 98 prospect in the Draft by MLB Pipeline, Hill fell to the Guardians in the fourth round. The 22-year-old has slashed .257/.390/.524 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 45 RBIs with 40 walks and 49 strikeouts over 56 games. Cleveland promoted him from Lake County to Double-A Akron on June 2. He went on the injured list with a right oblique strain on July 1.

The Guardians previously had what amounted to an additional first-round selection on Day 1 this year (No. 29 overall) in Competitive Balance Round A. But they sent it to the Giants alongside pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson in the May 9 trade for two-time Gold Glove Award-winning catcher Patrick Bailey.

“The Draft is really a tool to really fuel the Major League team. This way, we just did it in a little bit more of a unique way, I guess you could say,” Gillispie said of the Bailey trade. “Of course, you always want to have as many Draft picks as you can to impact the organization.

“But with [Bailey’s] acquisition I think we were able to impact the organization in a really meaningful way and very immediately.”

Bailey leads all players in Fielding Run Value (83) since 2023, is 27 years old and is under club control through 2029. The cost to land him was steep, but it’s one the Guardians clearly were comfortable paying to add a premium player to their run prevention program.

The Guardians still have a bite at the apple in the first round of the Draft, and they have seen the fruits of their recent top selections pay dividends this year. Gavin Williams (No. 23 overall in 2021), Chase DeLauter (No. 16 in ‘22), and Bazzana (No. 1 in ‘24) have each been key players on a team in the postseason hunt.

First baseman Ralphy Velazquez (No. 23 overall pick in 2023) is knocking on the door with Triple-A Columbus and will represent Cleveland at the Futures Game on Sunday.

The Guardians generally err on the side of taking the best player available in the first round. They’ve gone with a position player in four straight years, however, three of whom were collegiate prospects. Gillispie said the Guardians’ analysis is that the Draft is deep throughout each demographic, whether you’re talking hitters or pitchers, in high school or college.

“I don't know if there's necessarily a big strength, or one particularly over the other,” he said. “But there are a lot of options really deep. So I think we'll be able to add some really good talent throughout.”

Unlike other pro sports, you typically won’t see these players for several years post-Draft. For the Guardians and any team, they have to get to know them off the field as much as on it.

“We like to say predicting the future is a very tall task,” Gillispie said. “It's a really hard thing to do, but our scouts do a tremendous job of getting to know the players and putting us in a really good position to make decisions on Draft day.”

It will all come together on Saturday.